The Game of School did not strike me as a real surprise. Even I participated in this sort of game sometimes; for example, the math that none of us are ever going to use again. I believe that the Game of School wouldn't exist if our school system was fashioned more like Europe's, in which people go to high school for something they will major in. I doubt that students would go to school like it was a game if they knew that everything they were going to learn would be applied to real life. So many students complain about not needing anything they ever learn in high school; such as the meaning of Mice and Men and how to derive a calculus formula. The only class I truly put forth my all into was my world language class, because that was not only something I excelled in, but something that I could apply in real life. As stated in the article, the Game of School is something that brings down the school systems, but it is something not easily changed. It is inbred into our culture; movies and TV shows prod our behavior and encourage the Game of School. To be honest, I'm not sure why nearly every American kid is involved with this game when other Europeans go on strikes to have a better education.
I could relate to many of the things mentioned in this article. I have definitely participated and the Game of School and so has others that I know. It becomes a familiar routine that people get used to going through and use it only to get by. Plenty of students currently play the Game of School which is resulting in students learning less. It is effecting schools in a negative way. It is difficult to teach students and get them involved when they are unmotivated to learn the information. Students is more interested in getting the grades they need to get to graduate instead of focusing on how they can retain the lessons and use them in everyday life. They study the night before and cram for an exam for the purpose of passing the test, not for the purpose of understanding the information.
This piece was very interesting to read. Not only did it explore the faults in the American Education system, it pointed out a few flaws in those who receive it- the students. the most shocking thing for me was the part about the children at the group program who were basically cheating the system. These children found a way to do what seems to be the least amount of work possible, but still have the teacher convinced that they all did the reading. They focused not on what they were asked to read, but on what they were asked to do. To them, reading the first page and coming up with questions was adequate, they completed what the teacher asked of them without finishing one part of the assignment. However, the amount of work that each of the kids most go through in order to check their questions with their peers and make sure none of them have too similar a question must equate to, or be less than, the work they would actually have to do. This anecdote tells the public that the children receiving these educations are smart enough to out wit the teacher and excel by just barely doing the assignments. I hope that every educator in the world sees this anecdote so that they know that they are being cheated.
I think a big problem with the American Education system, especially in lower grades, is that students train the teachers to spoon feed them information. They constantly request study guides, reviews, and live by the limits- if the syllabus says a 2-3 page paper, the paper will be between 2-3 pages (but most likely 2 or 2.5). Who says you can’t go over? What if you have more to say? Teachers are limiting the students potential and I think that is why the students feel like they don’t really need to care. They say, oh well, Ms. So-and-so is going to give me a passing grade no matter what I do because she doesn’t want me to fail. I’ve seen it in my school, I’ve heard about it in others, it’s babying the students and it happens even in the high school level. The amount of spoon feeding and babying in schools is ridiculous. If you want an A, work for it. To me, an A says you went above and beyond what was asked of you. If your paper was supposed to be 2-3 pages, you wrote 3.5 because you were exploring a new idea. If you didn’t care and didn’t do the assignment, sorry, but you are going to get a failing grade. Teachers are known for passing students because they don’t want the students to look bad, and they don’t want to have themselves looking like bad teachers because they have a failing student. Educators need to man up. If a student receives a failing grade, it is because it is what they earned. You, as an educator, have given them multiple opportunities to succeed (homework, quizzes, tests, projects, papers) and these failing students have opted to either not complete them or scribble something down and hand it in and hope for partial credit for even doing it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you have a student who is studying hours on end so that they can earn that A or B grade. So why should a student who doesn’t care at all, be given the same treatment of a student who is putting 110% into each assignment? And teachers can’t pick and choose and say “well oh, I want to work with the kids who are failing maybe get their grades up” or opt to push the A and B students to excel even further. The teachers know that that is favoritism, and the students see it and talk about it. I think educators care too much about their reputation. Instead of worrying about how your boss sees you, worry about how your students see you and how you see yourself. I know that when I am an educator, students will receive what they earn, no matter what. Pumping out A’s and B’s for the sake of looking good isn’t going to pay off for anyone in the long run.
The "Greatest Obstacle We Face" was a very truthful, very valid article written about our minimalistic tendencies in American school systems and administrations. The game metaphor described throughout the piece is extremely pertinent to American education; there are many factors contributing to this game but it seems that from a young age this compulsion to "coast through" the curriculum is inherent. This impulse however may be derived from our social instinct to pull away from that which we are forced to do, and go toward that which we are not supposed to, for as the phrase goes "the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest." We are told to do homework but instead we find ourselves deeply submerged in toxic procrastination, finding the time to check Facebook and play Tetris but not complete assignments. I have always been a dedicated student and was quite the over-achiever in high school, but this game is obvious and detectable to anyone mildly associated with a public school. Although I am very studious, I cannot deny that I have participated in this game when there is too much school work to balance or other extraneous circumstances; it is an easy routine to fall into considering the often negligible standards of some school systems.
There is so much emphasis on test scores, administrators focus on the masses rather than the individual students taking these exams. As the author points out, each student is unique with different learning abilities and an array of diverse talents to offer. It seems hypocritical that we live in a nation that put so much value on diversity yet subjects our students to these grueling cookie-cutter standards and tests. It appears the entire purpose of school is sometimes forgotten or disregarded. Truthfully, we should just go back to basics and focus on improvement, learning, and enrichment-the key essentials and foundations of education. However, teachers should also teach about life rather than just academics to expand the scope of learning, to relate to real-life situations and not just test scores. Classroom techniques need to be shuffled up and more creative to hold the interests of both the teachers and students while still being instructive.
Something interesting I’ve noticed is a huge difference between students and teachers in grade school as opposed to students and professors in a college setting. Perhaps this is due to the expensive cost of tuition or the maturity of college students, but there appears to be an increased level of student-teacher respect and a greater desire to learn in a college classroom. Maybe implementing some degree of the necessity to succeed in high school like there is in college would improve student concentration and consideration. There are a plentitude of great ideas circulating to refine American education, many of which this author suggests, but unfortunately those involved directly in the education process (teacher and students) don't have much say in the way of reform decisions.
To me, the Game of School was not surprising at all. I have been playing it for years, and, to be honest, I’m very good at this game. In high school, I took 6 AP classes. After getting passing scores on all of the tests, I now have 29 college credits and don’t have to take most of my general education classes. But to get through those rigorous classes (4 in one year), I often did not do my best work. I would do exactly what was assigned, nothing more, nothing less. It was the only way to finish my mountain of homework every night. Though I graduated salutatorian of my class, I could have worked so much harder and gotten so much more out of school than I did. Now, starting my freshman year in college with 29 credits, I realize that I don’t remember most of what I learned in those 6 AP classes. Should I really be getting out of so much of my general education requirement when I feel that I have learned nothing? The game of school is not a game that is only played by the dumb kids that don’t care about school. It is played by every student. Though my classes were generally small and my teachers usually engaging, we were all guilty of playing the game of school. Yes, in certain topics or exercises that we were particularly interested in and passionate about we would put more effort in, but that was an exception not a rule. Now that I am more aware of the Game of School, I hope to focus more on not playing in throughout college. After all, you get out what you put in to something, and I want to have a valuable college experience and learn things that I actually remember long after the test is over.
Lindsay Heckmann
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102 H
September 27, 2011
"The Game of School" Reflection
"The Game of School" is in my opinion completely accurate regarding my academic upbringing. I can recall times in which I would receive a ditto for homework and claim the next day I hadn't received it. On other days, I would rush through the homework in school making it "look like" I addressed each problem or question to not have to take home a text book. Personally, the best way I learn is being taught a lesson by a teacher, completing questions, and then going over the assignment with the teacher rather than just passing the work in to never be seen again before grading. The article is on-point when they mention that children like to go out and do fun activities when they return home from school, which is why they learn at early ages how to avoid what keeps them from doing so. There was even an instance in second grade that I received so much homework that I elected to throw away one of the dittos so my parents wouldn't make me sit down for hours and complete my homework. At that age, there were several times when I couldn't even see my friends after school because the sun would be down before I finished. I do feel that "The Game of School" provided good examples of what things do and do not work in the classroom.
The Greatest Obstacle We Face - Kelly L Reading this essay is not much of an eye opener. I completely agree with everything the writer talks about. With class these last few weeks, we have been discussing the "obstacles" of American schooling, thus, I have been thinking about the topic a great deal. All of us have been through grade school, whether it was public or private, there was always at least one bad teacher. The same teacher the reading was talking about, the one who only does the minimum to get byand who everyone else has to pick up after. The teachers want to know how to make the students more interested in the curriculum that they are trying to teach. That has been the question for decades, but it seem impossible to find the solution to it. I believe that it truely depends on the student's willingness. If they want to learn, they will. But if they don't want to, they will put up a force field and the teacher won't be able to get through to them. It probaby depends on how the parents have raised the children, also. If the parents have raised them with the hunger to achieve and strivev for more, the students will be more willing to learn, especially in the classroom.
This short essay described much of my high school experience. While I really tried to ensure that I did my best in school, I often found myself playing the "game of school" in my science and math classes. I took average level mathematics which was composed of several different types of students (most of which were just there for the sake of avoiding the truancy officer). Most of the instructors I had would get so fed up with students not caring about the curriculum, they no longer cared about doing their jobs. This, in turn, made me feel like just getting by. The disruption and neglect were probably the most prominent features in these classes. Many teachers found themselves overwhelmed by chaos in the classroom or playing the game of "catch-up" when they fell behind in the syllabus. Usually, scenarios like these ended with frustration for both teachers and students. Some of the less experienced teachers often had trouble corralling their rowdy students when classes began, and, frankly, there was not much that the administration did to help them. Very rarely did we ever have visits from the principal or superintendent to check up on how our teachers were faring. I feel like classes would have run much more smoothly if our educators could get some support, instead of being thrown to the sharks like they often were at my school. I feel like if those teachers could have performed at their full potential, it would have garnered some attention from their students. Many pupils ended up dropping out by my junior year of school, and many didn't come at all. They simply waited until they turned sixteen, turned in the drop-out form, and went on their merry way to minimum wage jobs. I think a big question we have to ask is why are so many kids unmotivated? What is so appealing about perpetually doing the minimum? It certainly does not make life easier, and it doesn't feel rewarding. I think to combat this "game of school" we really need to start looking at how our students are reacting to the classroom and what draws their attention to the material. We need to make it relevant to their lives so they can form some sort of passion for learning, however meager it is. Students need support as well, both in school and at home. We need more funding for afterschool homework and tutoring programs, because it is so much easier to put in the effort when you feel like you are not alone.
Emily Markey
EDC 102 H
The Game of School
27 September 2011
There are several key indicators that the Game of School is being played. Students seem to only be participating in school in order to get through it. Teachers are teaching just for the sake of getting their students to do well on standardized tests. Administrators are trying to control what the teachers are teaching in their classrooms. The Game of School makes me reconsider my views on school and learning. I realize that I was never learning for the sake of gaining knowledge, I was only playing the game. I was only concerned with getting through school. My faith in the education system has been shaken because I discovered that everything is just a game. I believe that the game plays the role of trying to create a perfect environment for the students to learn in.
The Game of School is being played all of the time. Teachers and students have gotten lazy. I am not implying there are not great teachers who actually teach, or students who do their work, but there are a vast number of teachers who are simply picking-up their pay checks. Too many times than I can count, I have witnessed teachers who know an administrator is coming into the classroom and the teacher decides to give an actual lesson plan. That is the game being played. My Psychology teacher last year never once thought the class. He gave homework that was not checked and tests, and had us watch movies. He told the class many times he did not want to be there. Situations like this make me want to be a teacher. I want to be a teacher who doesn't play the game. If the game is continued to be played school will make little to no improvement.
The game of school has been played for many years, by both students and teachers. Growing up, and living in America has instilled laziness in everyone. No matter what you we do, its always about finding the easiest way and taking that route. No one wants to put in any more effort then they have to. Children, though young and naive, learn at a young age to observe their teachers, to see just what they can get away with. But the game isn't played by just the students, teachers are great players too. You can tell the difference between the teachers that are in the profession because its what they love to do, while others are simply doing it for the paycheck. Those teachers coast their way through the year, assigning notes from a chapter, and filling time with busy wrk that will never be graded. Every so often they give a test so they can give some type of grade, but of course it's just the bare minimum. The game of school os a great game, that will never seize to exist.
However, the game of school is ruining the school systems. Students are becoming lazy, and when ever they're pushed too much, they just drop out, or give up. Both teachers and students need to change their ways. Teachers need to assign more lessons that they can physically see these students doing it, and students need to stop taking so many short cuts.
This concept of the Game of School is very interesting and convincing. The author successfully convinces me that this is the prevalent problem within the school systems around America. Yes, individual problems create the overall problems of education, and yes, these same individual problems create the Game of School. However, it appears to me that the Game of School is a sociological problem. It is very similar to the Culture of Poverty. The Game of School is a culture. One that the people breed from infancy onwards.
It is truly evident everywhere that the Game of School is being played. The story of the little children in the YMCA program is evident that it takes place on the lower educational level, but one can see it in high school through athletics. Athletes, oftentimes, go for the grade of a B only so they can do the sports that they wish to play. They coast by choosing easy classes to get the easy grades in hopes that they can stay playing sports and may be, for the extra ambitious, go to college on a sports scholarship. I myself among many others are accountable of playing the Game of School. It is truly automatic. That is how a cultural aspect, or in this case, problem is. It is automatic and it takes a lot of effort, and additional thought/introspection to combat it.
One solution to this Game of School could be to bring in speakers to lower level school systems, like elementary school, to inspire, educate, and uplift the students. It is amazing the impact a single man or woman can have on a child by a simple appearance or speech. These speeches given, let's say, once a month or however frequently a speaker can be brought in from the community and surrounding region, can really change the culture of the Game of School at an early age. It isn't proper to allow this culture to build up at an early age. Like most problems in society, the battle starts with the youth. A revolution of thought and everyday practice must take place because reform, which pertains itself to external issues, cannot solve the internal problem of this Game of School.
I fear that the Game of Schools is a very real situation that America faces today. Students sort of just show up to leave or do things that they want to do and teachers show up to get their paychecks. Even when I went to school, I went through the motions but did not really know where I was headed. Assignments got done so I could get good grades and end up in a good college. There was no real reason to high school except balancing social events, sports and education. In perspective, the kids who kept all three aspects around the same amount of time and effort seemed to succeed better than others. There were very few kids that I saw that knew what the purpose of school was. Quite frankly, I never even asked them what the purpose was. I'm not sure if I didn't ever want to know or if I feared that it would be too hard to make it that far. I liked my high school experience so maybe it is better that I did not ask too many questions. I enjoyed the times I spent with the people I liked the most and the sports I liked to play. I was also lucky enough to find my education important. I found the balance that many could not find and it was a great feeling at the end. High school was indeed a challenge but now that I reflect on it, it was a breeze because it was just a game that I conquered. I lost some battles but I played well. I never gave up on one aspect that I really liked and this kept me competitive in the game. I worked and studied hard, I excelled in sports and I met so many people along the way. I not only played the game, I played it at a high level and now I am reaping the benefits of my success. I can't say that I was perfect or that everything went my way, but in the end, I do see that the setbacks made me better and the success made me stronger. School is a game, but is that necessarily a bad thing? After all, what does a bunch of information that doesn't apply to my daily life really give me? I still don't know the point of school but I do see the benefits of information and striving to succeed. My hope is that I never lose the ability to strive forward and find success.
I have played the game of school, almost consistently for the last 8 years. Before I entered middle school, it was not a game, but rather a time when I learned and strived to learn more. In middle school, it became a game. I knew a large amount of the material and picked up what I didn’t know rather quickly. Everything was a game. The homework was completed for a simple grade which inevitably balance out any poor test or quiz grades. There was little reason to put in real effort, as it was a simple formula to success. In high School, it was much the same. There was a formula, do homework, add fair quiz grades, explain issues of stress to the teacher when your grade slipped lower than a B and ask for extra credit. The passion which I had felt for learning was sapped even more by teachers who acted as though I couldn’t do the work. The only place where I truly felt invigorated by school was in history, and even then, only in AP US History. There, I had to work to keep up with the fast pace of the assignments, and was eagerly cataloguing all the little details for later recollection. This feeling did not last long as in my other classes it was the same story. Teachers making me feel it was useless to try, and work which was either too easy or too hard to reinforce those feelings. I played the game and knew it while I was playing. I could complain about the issues of the game for quite a while.
Danielle Santagata
Jay Fogleman
EDC 102 H
27 September 2011
"The Greatest Obstacle We Face" Reflection
According to Robert L. Fried, "Nobody cares what's going on intellectually in the classroom or the school, when the idea of learning is treated as a mindless duty– something to 'get through any way you can.'" I believe this statement is completely true. The majority of kids and teachers these days don't really care about school. Teachers are paid to be there, and they're getting paid no matter what, so why bother making things difficult? Everyone has, at least once in their life, participated in the "Game of School." I know I have. Throughout my high school experience especially, I felt like I wasn't actually learning anything important that would help me later on in life. We would always ask "When am I ever going to use this in real life?," and we never seemed to get a straight answer. Some of my teachers would just assign us busy work; things that didn't even matter in class because they were so insignificant. Students would rush through it, not really caring what they were saying, and the teacher still accepted it. I feel like teachers just restate what's in textbooks and we're just supposed to recite it back to them, kind of like a parrot. Schools, in particular, I feel are only striving for higher test scores and not spending enough time teaching things that are actually important. Everyone just goes through the motions of school for the most part. In high school kids would just skip class because "I don't learn anything in (insert class name here) anyway," and the sad part was… it was usually true. Students complain when classes are hard because they know they actually have to try, but those classes are usually the ones you learn the most in. I always tried to challenge myself in high school. I took my work very seriously and even when the assignment was simple I would find myself spending additional time on it even when I knew most of my classmates didn't; I didn't just try to "get by." I appreciated it when my teachers were actually interested in what they were saying and would spend any additional time they had helping out their students. That, to me, showed they really wanted their students to learn. More teachers need to be like that, and more students need to take advantage of what's right in front of them: an opportunity to learn.
While reading this article, I had some flashbacks to my schooling and I definitely could relate to some points the author was bringing up. I feel like homework, is a great example of how both students and teachers are playing the "Game of School." I would always complain about homework and how it was pointless and the teachers would say, "Oh, I understand but it's just what needs to happen, we do not have enough time if I don't give you homework." There is something wrong there, like the article said, teachers are supposed to interact, they are supposed to make sure children are learning things. And when children are forced to do homework constantly, every year and every day of their lives, when they would rather be doing anything but homework, the student develops a game. How do I get my work done the quickest yet still pretend I know what I'm talking about. I think that the example about the first graders is truly incredible and a little pathetic. By the time the children are six, they already know how to get around doing work, rather than putting in the time and effort and using some passion, to learn what the teacher is trying to teach. I know that when I was faced with all this homework or work, I often times would make it up and just get it done, and I was one of the best students in my grade so there is a problem with the teaching system. I believe that the teachers should start out not giving writing questions or assigning homework but by interacting. Interacting is what makes children excited and makes them want to learn. If you interact with them, ask them questions instead of making them write them down, discuss as a group, don't call on them. I think that teachers, no matter what grade or level, should make the basis of teaching interaction.
I totally agree with the message that the author was putting across about the "game of school" and how most students know how to play it. I must admit that when I was younger, I totally played the game of school. At some point in college I may play the game again! All through high school, all my friends and I would look for were short cuts through the work and studying. It was easier and then we were able to go out more and have fun rather than working all the time. If there was a chapter that was way too long to read in the book, that is what Sparknotes was for! It gave you the summary and analysis of the chapter. When you went to class the next day, not only did you know what happened in the chapter but you knew what it all meant analytically speaking, in case you were the unlucky one who was called on to explain it all. As for teachers, I experienced many teaachers who gave that speech in the beginning of the year and you thought, "man, this class will be a breeze." They tell you, come to class and turn in your work on time and you'll pass. What they should have been doing was telling us that without hard work and effort, we wouldn't pass the class. It might have scared us, but it would have helped in the long run. Maybe I would have actually read the chapter in the book and taken notes instead of reading it on sparknotes. School should be about retaining the information you're reading, not, "how can I pass without actually trying?" I believe that if emphasis was put more on effort rather than on how we can easily pass, I would have tried so much more my senior year and would have actually retained information I learned. Unless you took an AP class, I don't think people in my school really tried their hardest in some classes. Schools should focus more on how to avoid "the game" and get kids and teachers to both try more and give more effort.
I think that the article was extremely accurate. A lot of what I read applied directly to my own experiences in school. My classmates did their work in order to succeed and move on instead of for the sake of learning itself. Naturally, I was no exception. I think that this is, for the most part, due to the way we were "raised" both in and out of school. Getting good grades is all that was really expected of me as a student from both my parents and my teachers. This was especially true in my math classes. I choose my math classes based on how well I could do in them, not how much I would enjoy them or how useful they would be to me after I had completed the course. Although I do enjoy some of the material that I learn, I always prioritize my grades and GPA. I hope that, at some point, our society can progress back to the point where the process of learning overcomes the importance of grades. I think that when we reach that point, people will stop "waiting" for their lives to begin and will find they are much happier overall.
This was hands down the best article I have read this year for any class. Right when I read what the "game of school" is I immediately thought of how my homeroom teacher in high school, who I was very close to, would tell me every day that I am just sliding by doing the minimum and that I used all these tricks to enable me to get by. I guess he was telling me that I was playing the "game of school," which, after reading this article, is exactly how I would describe most of my high school years. Rather than going above and beyond, I would go to class, learn what I had to to pass the test, then forget the material right after class. I learned quickly how to skim readings well enough to be able to participate, and even lead, class discussions. I believe having a strong personality also helped me play the game because I always contributed to the class even if it was "bullshit." But I think it is interesting that the article talks about teachers playing the game as well. Although I never thought of it before, just seeing it as something most of my friends did, I now can totally think of teachers I have had that have played the game. Overall, I am so glad someone wrote an article directly attacking the notion of education being a game. Honestly, while in high school, I thought playing the game was me finding a shortcut to succeeding, but now I wish I had taken a break from playing and opened my eyes to all I could have learned.
"We pretend to learn and they pretend to teach us" is what students are basically saying across the world according to Robert L. Fried. Although this statement seems to be untrue, or at least we all hope so, I agree with the statement. I feel like "learning" nowadays is just regurgitating certain information to get an answer right. For example, on vocab quizzes in my junior year English class, every student would cram the list of twenty-five words into their short term memory just before the quiz. Then, the words would just slowly leave their mind. The students were lucky to use half those words in a sentence and even luckier to even remember one definition. This example falls into rhythm with another Fried statement; "we do harm when we reduce these acts of intellect, creativity, and judgement to rote exercises, perfunctory deeds, or meaningless gestures." Students do homework and study for tests because they don't want the negative effects of not doing these obligatory tasks. I have had teachers who teach students "tricks" in which the teacher would say "when you see this phrase, preform this function." Frankly, I could program a robot to do the exact same thing.
Even our government, who is supposed to be supporting our growth as students is making things worse with standardized testing. Teachers are slowly being restricted by curriculum and state testing and teacher evaluations and professional development and lesson planning. Instead of allowing teachers more time with struggling students, they are being given less time by all these other things. For example, my mother is a reading teacher in a low income area. She has had to reduce class time with some of her struggling students in order to attend seminars on how to help struggling students.
Most students just believe that if they just do their work, they will be fine. Which turns out to be completely true. When a teacher asks, "have you guys learned this before," students just stare at the teacher blankly. The problem is they have "learned" it, but just enough to get by on the quiz or test. Most students will agree with Fried in saying that "It's only a game." when talking about their work ethic in school. I will admit to playing the game of school most times and I know the majority of students do the same.
Those who don't treat school like a game are easily ostracized by their peers. For example, Cedric in "A Hope in the Unseen" is rejected by his peers because he is trying harder than any of those other students. He is one of the few that is actually attempting to learn and not just regurgitate answers.
Throughout my high school career, I have had a multitude of teachers. Some are very dedicated, yet others have a very limited interest in their students. However, both have the same perks and same standing. I have had teachers that stay after school every single day to help students and that genuinely want their students to learn what they are teaching. Yet, the do not get credit for their extra hours and I do not think t hat it's fair to them. Fried brought up a very good point which I have never considered before. NOw that I have come to this unfair realization, I am bothered by it.
Most of the problem is a lack of motivation from most students and some teachers. Students lack an interest in most of the subjects and these subjects will not be applicable to their lives. If students had a personal investment in all their classes, they would be more likely to do better because they would be more likely to enjoy their work.
The Game of School did not strike me as a real surprise. Even I participated in this sort of game sometimes; for example, the math that none of us are ever going to use again. I believe that the Game of School wouldn't exist if our school system was fashioned more like Europe's, in which people go to high school for something they will major in. I doubt that students would go to school like it was a game if they knew that everything they were going to learn would be applied to real life. So many students complain about not needing anything they ever learn in high school; such as the meaning of Mice and Men and how to derive a calculus formula. The only class I truly put forth my all into was my world language class, because that was not only something I excelled in, but something that I could apply in real life. As stated in the article, the Game of School is something that brings down the school systems, but it is something not easily changed. It is inbred into our culture; movies and TV shows prod our behavior and encourage the Game of School. To be honest, I'm not sure why nearly every American kid is involved with this game when other Europeans go on strikes to have a better education.
I could relate to many of the things mentioned in this article. I have definitely participated and the Game of School and so has others that I know. It becomes a familiar routine that people get used to going through and use it only to get by. Plenty of students currently play the Game of School which is resulting in students learning less. It is effecting schools in a negative way. It is difficult to teach students and get them involved when they are unmotivated to learn the information. Students is more interested in getting the grades they need to get to graduate instead of focusing on how they can retain the lessons and use them in everyday life. They study the night before and cram for an exam for the purpose of passing the test, not for the purpose of understanding the information.
This piece was very interesting to read. Not only did it explore the faults in the American Education system, it pointed out a few flaws in those who receive it- the students. the most shocking thing for me was the part about the children at the group program who were basically cheating the system. These children found a way to do what seems to be the least amount of work possible, but still have the teacher convinced that they all did the reading. They focused not on what they were asked to read, but on what they were asked to do. To them, reading the first page and coming up with questions was adequate, they completed what the teacher asked of them without finishing one part of the assignment. However, the amount of work that each of the kids most go through in order to check their questions with their peers and make sure none of them have too similar a question must equate to, or be less than, the work they would actually have to do. This anecdote tells the public that the children receiving these educations are smart enough to out wit the teacher and excel by just barely doing the assignments. I hope that every educator in the world sees this anecdote so that they know that they are being cheated.
I think a big problem with the American Education system, especially in lower grades, is that students train the teachers to spoon feed them information. They constantly request study guides, reviews, and live by the limits- if the syllabus says a 2-3 page paper, the paper will be between 2-3 pages (but most likely 2 or 2.5). Who says you can’t go over? What if you have more to say? Teachers are limiting the students potential and I think that is why the students feel like they don’t really need to care. They say, oh well, Ms. So-and-so is going to give me a passing grade no matter what I do because she doesn’t want me to fail. I’ve seen it in my school, I’ve heard about it in others, it’s babying the students and it happens even in the high school level. The amount of spoon feeding and babying in schools is ridiculous. If you want an A, work for it. To me, an A says you went above and beyond what was asked of you. If your paper was supposed to be 2-3 pages, you wrote 3.5 because you were exploring a new idea. If you didn’t care and didn’t do the assignment, sorry, but you are going to get a failing grade. Teachers are known for passing students because they don’t want the students to look bad, and they don’t want to have themselves looking like bad teachers because they have a failing student. Educators need to man up. If a student receives a failing grade, it is because it is what they earned. You, as an educator, have given them multiple opportunities to succeed (homework, quizzes, tests, projects, papers) and these failing students have opted to either not complete them or scribble something down and hand it in and hope for partial credit for even doing it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you have a student who is studying hours on end so that they can earn that A or B grade. So why should a student who doesn’t care at all, be given the same treatment of a student who is putting 110% into each assignment? And teachers can’t pick and choose and say “well oh, I want to work with the kids who are failing maybe get their grades up” or opt to push the A and B students to excel even further. The teachers know that that is favoritism, and the students see it and talk about it. I think educators care too much about their reputation. Instead of worrying about how your boss sees you, worry about how your students see you and how you see yourself. I know that when I am an educator, students will receive what they earn, no matter what. Pumping out A’s and B’s for the sake of looking good isn’t going to pay off for anyone in the long run.
The "Greatest Obstacle We Face" was a very truthful, very valid article written about our minimalistic tendencies in American school systems and administrations. The game metaphor described throughout the piece is extremely pertinent to American education; there are many factors contributing to this game but it seems that from a young age this compulsion to "coast through" the curriculum is inherent. This impulse however may be derived from our social instinct to pull away from that which we are forced to do, and go toward that which we are not supposed to, for as the phrase goes "the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest." We are told to do homework but instead we find ourselves deeply submerged in toxic procrastination, finding the time to check Facebook and play Tetris but not complete assignments. I have always been a dedicated student and was quite the over-achiever in high school, but this game is obvious and detectable to anyone mildly associated with a public school. Although I am very studious, I cannot deny that I have participated in this game when there is too much school work to balance or other extraneous circumstances; it is an easy routine to fall into considering the often negligible standards of some school systems.
There is so much emphasis on test scores, administrators focus on the masses rather than the individual students taking these exams. As the author points out, each student is unique with different learning abilities and an array of diverse talents to offer. It seems hypocritical that we live in a nation that put so much value on diversity yet subjects our students to these grueling cookie-cutter standards and tests. It appears the entire purpose of school is sometimes forgotten or disregarded. Truthfully, we should just go back to basics and focus on improvement, learning, and enrichment-the key essentials and foundations of education. However, teachers should also teach about life rather than just academics to expand the scope of learning, to relate to real-life situations and not just test scores. Classroom techniques need to be shuffled up and more creative to hold the interests of both the teachers and students while still being instructive.
Something interesting I’ve noticed is a huge difference between students and teachers in grade school as opposed to students and professors in a college setting. Perhaps this is due to the expensive cost of tuition or the maturity of college students, but there appears to be an increased level of student-teacher respect and a greater desire to learn in a college classroom. Maybe implementing some degree of the necessity to succeed in high school like there is in college would improve student concentration and consideration. There are a plentitude of great ideas circulating to refine American education, many of which this author suggests, but unfortunately those involved directly in the education process (teacher and students) don't have much say in the way of reform decisions.
EDC102H
Game of School
To me, the Game of School was not surprising at all. I have been playing it for years, and, to be honest, I’m very good at this game. In high school, I took 6 AP classes. After getting passing scores on all of the tests, I now have 29 college credits and don’t have to take most of my general education classes. But to get through those rigorous classes (4 in one year), I often did not do my best work. I would do exactly what was assigned, nothing more, nothing less. It was the only way to finish my mountain of homework every night. Though I graduated salutatorian of my class, I could have worked so much harder and gotten so much more out of school than I did. Now, starting my freshman year in college with 29 credits, I realize that I don’t remember most of what I learned in those 6 AP classes. Should I really be getting out of so much of my general education requirement when I feel that I have learned nothing? The game of school is not a game that is only played by the dumb kids that don’t care about school. It is played by every student. Though my classes were generally small and my teachers usually engaging, we were all guilty of playing the game of school. Yes, in certain topics or exercises that we were particularly interested in and passionate about we would put more effort in, but that was an exception not a rule. Now that I am more aware of the Game of School, I hope to focus more on not playing in throughout college. After all, you get out what you put in to something, and I want to have a valuable college experience and learn things that I actually remember long after the test is over.
Dr. Fogleman
EDC 102 H
September 27, 2011
"The Game of School" Reflection
"The Game of School" is in my opinion completely accurate regarding my academic upbringing. I can recall times in which I would receive a ditto for homework and claim the next day I hadn't received it. On other days, I would rush through the homework in school making it "look like" I addressed each problem or question to not have to take home a text book. Personally, the best way I learn is being taught a lesson by a teacher, completing questions, and then going over the assignment with the teacher rather than just passing the work in to never be seen again before grading. The article is on-point when they mention that children like to go out and do fun activities when they return home from school, which is why they learn at early ages how to avoid what keeps them from doing so. There was even an instance in second grade that I received so much homework that I elected to throw away one of the dittos so my parents wouldn't make me sit down for hours and complete my homework. At that age, there were several times when I couldn't even see my friends after school because the sun would be down before I finished. I do feel that "The Game of School" provided good examples of what things do and do not work in the classroom.
Reading this essay is not much of an eye opener. I completely agree with everything the writer talks about. With class these last few weeks, we have been discussing the "obstacles" of American schooling, thus, I have been thinking about the topic a great deal. All of us have been through grade school, whether it was public or private, there was always at least one bad teacher. The same teacher the reading was talking about, the one who only does the minimum to get byand who everyone else has to pick up after.
The teachers want to know how to make the students more interested in the curriculum that they are trying to teach. That has been the question for decades, but it seem impossible to find the solution to it. I believe that it truely depends on the student's willingness. If they want to learn, they will. But if they don't want to, they will put up a force field and the teacher won't be able to get through to them. It probaby depends on how the parents have raised the children, also. If the parents have raised them with the hunger to achieve and strivev for more, the students will be more willing to learn, especially in the classroom.
This short essay described much of my high school experience. While I really tried to ensure that I did my best in school, I often found myself playing the "game of school" in my science and math classes. I took average level mathematics which was composed of several different types of students (most of which were just there for the sake of avoiding the truancy officer). Most of the instructors I had would get so fed up with students not caring about the curriculum, they no longer cared about doing their jobs. This, in turn, made me feel like just getting by. The disruption and neglect were probably the most prominent features in these classes. Many teachers found themselves overwhelmed by chaos in the classroom or playing the game of "catch-up" when they fell behind in the syllabus. Usually, scenarios like these ended with frustration for both teachers and students. Some of the less experienced teachers often had trouble corralling their rowdy students when classes began, and, frankly, there was not much that the administration did to help them. Very rarely did we ever have visits from the principal or superintendent to check up on how our teachers were faring. I feel like classes would have run much more smoothly if our educators could get some support, instead of being thrown to the sharks like they often were at my school. I feel like if those teachers could have performed at their full potential, it would have garnered some attention from their students. Many pupils ended up dropping out by my junior year of school, and many didn't come at all. They simply waited until they turned sixteen, turned in the drop-out form, and went on their merry way to minimum wage jobs. I think a big question we have to ask is why are so many kids unmotivated? What is so appealing about perpetually doing the minimum? It certainly does not make life easier, and it doesn't feel rewarding. I think to combat this "game of school" we really need to start looking at how our students are reacting to the classroom and what draws their attention to the material. We need to make it relevant to their lives so they can form some sort of passion for learning, however meager it is. Students need support as well, both in school and at home. We need more funding for afterschool homework and tutoring programs, because it is so much easier to put in the effort when you feel like you are not alone.
EDC 102 H
The Game of School
27 September 2011
There are several key indicators that the Game of School is being played. Students seem to only be participating in school in order to get through it. Teachers are teaching just for the sake of getting their students to do well on standardized tests. Administrators are trying to control what the teachers are teaching in their classrooms. The Game of School makes me reconsider my views on school and learning. I realize that I was never learning for the sake of gaining knowledge, I was only playing the game. I was only concerned with getting through school. My faith in the education system has been shaken because I discovered that everything is just a game. I believe that the game plays the role of trying to create a perfect environment for the students to learn in.
The Game of School is being played all of the time. Teachers and students have gotten lazy. I am not implying there are not great teachers who actually teach, or students who do their work, but there are a vast number of teachers who are simply picking-up their pay checks. Too many times than I can count, I have witnessed teachers who know an administrator is coming into the classroom and the teacher decides to give an actual lesson plan. That is the game being played. My Psychology teacher last year never once thought the class. He gave homework that was not checked and tests, and had us watch movies. He told the class many times he did not want to be there. Situations like this make me want to be a teacher. I want to be a teacher who doesn't play the game. If the game is continued to be played school will make little to no improvement.
EDC102H
J.Fogleman
28 Sept. 2011
The Game of School
The game of school has been played for many years, by both students and teachers. Growing up, and living in America has instilled laziness in everyone. No matter what you we do, its always about finding the easiest way and taking that route. No one wants to put in any more effort then they have to. Children, though young and naive, learn at a young age to observe their teachers, to see just what they can get away with. But the game isn't played by just the students, teachers are great players too. You can tell the difference between the teachers that are in the profession because its what they love to do, while others are simply doing it for the paycheck. Those teachers coast their way through the year, assigning notes from a chapter, and filling time with busy wrk that will never be graded. Every so often they give a test so they can give some type of grade, but of course it's just the bare minimum. The game of school os a great game, that will never seize to exist.
However, the game of school is ruining the school systems. Students are becoming lazy, and when ever they're pushed too much, they just drop out, or give up. Both teachers and students need to change their ways. Teachers need to assign more lessons that they can physically see these students doing it, and students need to stop taking so many short cuts.
This concept of the Game of School is very interesting and convincing. The author successfully convinces me that this is the prevalent problem within the school systems around America. Yes, individual problems create the overall problems of education, and yes, these same individual problems create the Game of School. However, it appears to me that the Game of School is a sociological problem. It is very similar to the Culture of Poverty. The Game of School is a culture. One that the people breed from infancy onwards.
It is truly evident everywhere that the Game of School is being played. The story of the little children in the YMCA program is evident that it takes place on the lower educational level, but one can see it in high school through athletics. Athletes, oftentimes, go for the grade of a B only so they can do the sports that they wish to play. They coast by choosing easy classes to get the easy grades in hopes that they can stay playing sports and may be, for the extra ambitious, go to college on a sports scholarship. I myself among many others are accountable of playing the Game of School. It is truly automatic. That is how a cultural aspect, or in this case, problem is. It is automatic and it takes a lot of effort, and additional thought/introspection to combat it.
One solution to this Game of School could be to bring in speakers to lower level school systems, like elementary school, to inspire, educate, and uplift the students. It is amazing the impact a single man or woman can have on a child by a simple appearance or speech. These speeches given, let's say, once a month or however frequently a speaker can be brought in from the community and surrounding region, can really change the culture of the Game of School at an early age. It isn't proper to allow this culture to build up at an early age. Like most problems in society, the battle starts with the youth. A revolution of thought and everyday practice must take place because reform, which pertains itself to external issues, cannot solve the internal problem of this Game of School.
I fear that the Game of Schools is a very real situation that America faces today. Students sort of just show up to leave or do things that they want to do and teachers show up to get their paychecks. Even when I went to school, I went through the motions but did not really know where I was headed. Assignments got done so I could get good grades and end up in a good college. There was no real reason to high school except balancing social events, sports and education. In perspective, the kids who kept all three aspects around the same amount of time and effort seemed to succeed better than others. There were very few kids that I saw that knew what the purpose of school was. Quite frankly, I never even asked them what the purpose was. I'm not sure if I didn't ever want to know or if I feared that it would be too hard to make it that far. I liked my high school experience so maybe it is better that I did not ask too many questions. I enjoyed the times I spent with the people I liked the most and the sports I liked to play. I was also lucky enough to find my education important. I found the balance that many could not find and it was a great feeling at the end. High school was indeed a challenge but now that I reflect on it, it was a breeze because it was just a game that I conquered. I lost some battles but I played well. I never gave up on one aspect that I really liked and this kept me competitive in the game. I worked and studied hard, I excelled in sports and I met so many people along the way. I not only played the game, I played it at a high level and now I am reaping the benefits of my success. I can't say that I was perfect or that everything went my way, but in the end, I do see that the setbacks made me better and the success made me stronger. School is a game, but is that necessarily a bad thing? After all, what does a bunch of information that doesn't apply to my daily life really give me? I still don't know the point of school but I do see the benefits of information and striving to succeed. My hope is that I never lose the ability to strive forward and find success.
I have played the game of school, almost consistently for the last 8 years. Before I entered middle school, it was not a game, but rather a time when I learned and strived to learn more. In middle school, it became a game. I knew a large amount of the material and picked up what I didn’t know rather quickly. Everything was a game. The homework was completed for a simple grade which inevitably balance out any poor test or quiz grades. There was little reason to put in real effort, as it was a simple formula to success. In high School, it was much the same. There was a formula, do homework, add fair quiz grades, explain issues of stress to the teacher when your grade slipped lower than a B and ask for extra credit. The passion which I had felt for learning was sapped even more by teachers who acted as though I couldn’t do the work. The only place where I truly felt invigorated by school was in history, and even then, only in AP US History. There, I had to work to keep up with the fast pace of the assignments, and was eagerly cataloguing all the little details for later recollection. This feeling did not last long as in my other classes it was the same story. Teachers making me feel it was useless to try, and work which was either too easy or too hard to reinforce those feelings. I played the game and knew it while I was playing. I could complain about the issues of the game for quite a while.
Jay Fogleman
EDC 102 H
27 September 2011
"The Greatest Obstacle We Face" Reflection
According to Robert L. Fried, "Nobody cares what's going on intellectually in the classroom or the school, when the idea of learning is treated as a mindless duty– something to 'get through any way you can.'" I believe this statement is completely true. The majority of kids and teachers these days don't really care about school. Teachers are paid to be there, and they're getting paid no matter what, so why bother making things difficult? Everyone has, at least once in their life, participated in the "Game of School." I know I have. Throughout my high school experience especially, I felt like I wasn't actually learning anything important that would help me later on in life. We would always ask "When am I ever going to use this in real life?," and we never seemed to get a straight answer. Some of my teachers would just assign us busy work; things that didn't even matter in class because they were so insignificant. Students would rush through it, not really caring what they were saying, and the teacher still accepted it. I feel like teachers just restate what's in textbooks and we're just supposed to recite it back to them, kind of like a parrot. Schools, in particular, I feel are only striving for higher test scores and not spending enough time teaching things that are actually important. Everyone just goes through the motions of school for the most part. In high school kids would just skip class because "I don't learn anything in (insert class name here) anyway," and the sad part was… it was usually true. Students complain when classes are hard because they know they actually have to try, but those classes are usually the ones you learn the most in. I always tried to challenge myself in high school. I took my work very seriously and even when the assignment was simple I would find myself spending additional time on it even when I knew most of my classmates didn't; I didn't just try to "get by." I appreciated it when my teachers were actually interested in what they were saying and would spend any additional time they had helping out their students. That, to me, showed they really wanted their students to learn. More teachers need to be like that, and more students need to take advantage of what's right in front of them: an opportunity to learn.
While reading this article, I had some flashbacks to my schooling and I definitely could relate to some points the author was bringing up. I feel like homework, is a great example of how both students and teachers are playing the "Game of School." I would always complain about homework and how it was pointless and the teachers would say, "Oh, I understand but it's just what needs to happen, we do not have enough time if I don't give you homework." There is something wrong there, like the article said, teachers are supposed to interact, they are supposed to make sure children are learning things. And when children are forced to do homework constantly, every year and every day of their lives, when they would rather be doing anything but homework, the student develops a game. How do I get my work done the quickest yet still pretend I know what I'm talking about. I think that the example about the first graders is truly incredible and a little pathetic. By the time the children are six, they already know how to get around doing work, rather than putting in the time and effort and using some passion, to learn what the teacher is trying to teach. I know that when I was faced with all this homework or work, I often times would make it up and just get it done, and I was one of the best students in my grade so there is a problem with the teaching system. I believe that the teachers should start out not giving writing questions or assigning homework but by interacting. Interacting is what makes children excited and makes them want to learn. If you interact with them, ask them questions instead of making them write them down, discuss as a group, don't call on them. I think that teachers, no matter what grade or level, should make the basis of teaching interaction.
I totally agree with the message that the author was putting across about the "game of school" and how most students know how to play it. I must admit that when I was younger, I totally played the game of school. At some point in college I may play the game again! All through high school, all my friends and I would look for were short cuts through the work and studying. It was easier and then we were able to go out more and have fun rather than working all the time. If there was a chapter that was way too long to read in the book, that is what Sparknotes was for! It gave you the summary and analysis of the chapter. When you went to class the next day, not only did you know what happened in the chapter but you knew what it all meant analytically speaking, in case you were the unlucky one who was called on to explain it all. As for teachers, I experienced many teaachers who gave that speech in the beginning of the year and you thought, "man, this class will be a breeze." They tell you, come to class and turn in your work on time and you'll pass. What they should have been doing was telling us that without hard work and effort, we wouldn't pass the class. It might have scared us, but it would have helped in the long run. Maybe I would have actually read the chapter in the book and taken notes instead of reading it on sparknotes. School should be about retaining the information you're reading, not, "how can I pass without actually trying?" I believe that if emphasis was put more on effort rather than on how we can easily pass, I would have tried so much more my senior year and would have actually retained information I learned. Unless you took an AP class, I don't think people in my school really tried their hardest in some classes. Schools should focus more on how to avoid "the game" and get kids and teachers to both try more and give more effort.
I think that the article was extremely accurate. A lot of what I read applied directly to my own experiences in school. My classmates did their work in order to succeed and move on instead of for the sake of learning itself. Naturally, I was no exception. I think that this is, for the most part, due to the way we were "raised" both in and out of school. Getting good grades is all that was really expected of me as a student from both my parents and my teachers. This was especially true in my math classes. I choose my math classes based on how well I could do in them, not how much I would enjoy them or how useful they would be to me after I had completed the course. Although I do enjoy some of the material that I learn, I always prioritize my grades and GPA. I hope that, at some point, our society can progress back to the point where the process of learning overcomes the importance of grades. I think that when we reach that point, people will stop "waiting" for their lives to begin and will find they are much happier overall.
This was hands down the best article I have read this year for any class. Right when I read what the "game of school" is I immediately thought of how my homeroom teacher in high school, who I was very close to, would tell me every day that I am just sliding by doing the minimum and that I used all these tricks to enable me to get by. I guess he was telling me that I was playing the "game of school," which, after reading this article, is exactly how I would describe most of my high school years. Rather than going above and beyond, I would go to class, learn what I had to to pass the test, then forget the material right after class. I learned quickly how to skim readings well enough to be able to participate, and even lead, class discussions. I believe having a strong personality also helped me play the game because I always contributed to the class even if it was "bullshit." But I think it is interesting that the article talks about teachers playing the game as well. Although I never thought of it before, just seeing it as something most of my friends did, I now can totally think of teachers I have had that have played the game. Overall, I am so glad someone wrote an article directly attacking the notion of education being a game. Honestly, while in high school, I thought playing the game was me finding a shortcut to succeeding, but now I wish I had taken a break from playing and opened my eyes to all I could have learned.
"We pretend to learn and they pretend to teach us" is what students are basically saying across the world according to Robert L. Fried. Although this statement seems to be untrue, or at least we all hope so, I agree with the statement. I feel like "learning" nowadays is just regurgitating certain information to get an answer right. For example, on vocab quizzes in my junior year English class, every student would cram the list of twenty-five words into their short term memory just before the quiz. Then, the words would just slowly leave their mind. The students were lucky to use half those words in a sentence and even luckier to even remember one definition. This example falls into rhythm with another Fried statement; "we do harm when we reduce these acts of intellect, creativity, and judgement to rote exercises, perfunctory deeds, or meaningless gestures." Students do homework and study for tests because they don't want the negative effects of not doing these obligatory tasks. I have had teachers who teach students "tricks" in which the teacher would say "when you see this phrase, preform this function." Frankly, I could program a robot to do the exact same thing.
Even our government, who is supposed to be supporting our growth as students is making things worse with standardized testing. Teachers are slowly being restricted by curriculum and state testing and teacher evaluations and professional development and lesson planning. Instead of allowing teachers more time with struggling students, they are being given less time by all these other things. For example, my mother is a reading teacher in a low income area. She has had to reduce class time with some of her struggling students in order to attend seminars on how to help struggling students.
Most students just believe that if they just do their work, they will be fine. Which turns out to be completely true. When a teacher asks, "have you guys learned this before," students just stare at the teacher blankly. The problem is they have "learned" it, but just enough to get by on the quiz or test. Most students will agree with Fried in saying that "It's only a game." when talking about their work ethic in school. I will admit to playing the game of school most times and I know the majority of students do the same.
Those who don't treat school like a game are easily ostracized by their peers. For example, Cedric in "A Hope in the Unseen" is rejected by his peers because he is trying harder than any of those other students. He is one of the few that is actually attempting to learn and not just regurgitate answers.
Throughout my high school career, I have had a multitude of teachers. Some are very dedicated, yet others have a very limited interest in their students. However, both have the same perks and same standing. I have had teachers that stay after school every single day to help students and that genuinely want their students to learn what they are teaching. Yet, the do not get credit for their extra hours and I do not think t hat it's fair to them. Fried brought up a very good point which I have never considered before. NOw that I have come to this unfair realization, I am bothered by it.
Most of the problem is a lack of motivation from most students and some teachers. Students lack an interest in most of the subjects and these subjects will not be applicable to their lives. If students had a personal investment in all their classes, they would be more likely to do better because they would be more likely to enjoy their work.